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Squeaky tenor, don't know if it's me or the horn

9K views 24 replies 19 participants last post by  Lexypoibra 
#1 ·
Hi all, I don't know if anyone can help me but I'm asking anyway. I have an E. M. Winston tenor sax that I got about 9 years ago as my first sax, but I've played bari from my second year of sax to now. I've never owned a bari, always played the school's, but I've never really had to play my tenor since I could usually bring my bari home to practice. Now that I'm in college, I'm in a unique situation where I'm in the concert band (which is technically a class) but I'm not actually in the class, so they had to find an old bari for me to use and I can't take it with me to practice (and the practice rooms in the music building are for majors and minors only) so I have to practice on my tenor.

The tenor squeaks on high G ang G#. I don't know if it's me or the sax, because if it squeaked when I started playing I probably didn't notice since back then I was squeaking on all the notes. The sax hasn't been damaged at all, so if it's a sax problem it would have been in manufacturing most likely. It might be an embouchure problem, but I don't know for sure.

Basically, I just want to know if the squeaking on high G and G# is a problem with the E. M. Winston saxes or if it's a problem with me, or something else. Can anybody help me?
 
#2 ·
Good question. This has happened to me on four or five different tenors, but always with the same mouthpiece, so I'm still not sure if it is the equipment or the player. I came from the alto. Same two notes.
 
#3 ·
G and G# are the most unstable notes on a tenor in my opinion and if a range of things are wrong it can present its self in just those notes. Air leaks can cause it, wrong tongue/throat positioning, or bad mouthpiece or a combo of this all can cause it in my experience.
 
#4 ·
My tenor tends to squeak on 4th line D, but only when I am using a more open mouthpiece. If I play the note properly and controlled I can hear an overtone over the D as well as the D. It's quite cool. Hit you G or G# and listen for that overtone, this wont help you fix it I think, but it's cool :)
 
#5 ·
Maybe your octave vents are not aligned correctly. This would account for unstable G/G#s, but would also impact other notes. Is the upper register hard to play?
You might have other leaks, too. What I would do, is to just bring the horn to a friendly tech and have him check it.
 
#7 ·
You might also try experimenting with a different reed---different in hardness and/or brand name. I have found that, although I generally like the Alexander DC for sound, that it is more "squeak prone" in general, but especially on one of my larger tipped mouthpieces, while another reed plays well and is not prone to squeak. On another mpc, the DC is OK.
(I play alto, FYI). By all means, check for leaks or mechanical problems, but also experiment with reeds.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for all the advice, I will check for leaks and if I find a good repair guy around Gainesville I will take it to him to check it out. My mouthpiece is a Rico Royal C5 that came with the tenor. I will also try using different reeds, I have many that I got from my dad and they're all different brands and hardnesses, so maybe I can find one that stops the squeak. The rest of the upper register is easy to play, it's just the G and G# that squeak.
 
#9 ·
The C chamber is the smallest, and a 5 facing with that small chamber will probably lend itself to squeaking. If you had a C7, it might fix that. Also, E.M. Winston saxes aren't the greatest on the planet either, I've played on one for an outdoor sax before, and it was impossible to keep in proper playing condition. Could just be that one sax though, I haven't played another.
 
#10 ·
Thanks, I'm not looking to really invest in this sax since I plan on buying a bari soon, and that will become my main practice instrument. I'll try the simple fixes like checking for leaks and switching reeds, but I don't think I'll want to pay for a nice mouthpiece on a crappy sax that I'm not going to play much.
 
#11 ·
Also check that your reed is properly positioned on the mouthpiece. This is usually the problem for me when I hear squeaks. When you push the tip of the reed down with your finger, it's tip should align with the tip of the piece. And the sides need to be lined up, too.

If you can't find a good tech in Gainseville, which I'm sure you can, check out Gary Underwood in Winter Park (northeast edge of Orlando). The players here say he's the best.

Gary Underwood Music • (407) 677-8792
4949 Pine Ave
Winter Park, Florida 32792
Email: underwood55@aol.com

Call first. I'm told he is often away from his shop.

Of course, if you are unwilling to spring for a better mouthpiece, the gasoline cost of a round trip to Orlando might be outside your budget, too. :)
 
#12 ·
BrokenMonkey.....Have the tech at Hoggtowne Music

http://hoggtownemusic.com/index.php

take a look at your tenor. The other tenor player in my blues band ( Dr. Steve Bingham, head of the jazz band at SFCC) and I have used him and he does decent work....Get a quote from him in advance, however.

Also, if you want me and/or you to run some scales on your tenor with my mouthpieces ( Bergs/Links ) send me a P.M. We are rehearsing in Gainesville Sunday night. Go Gators!

Steve
 
#14 ·
hi guys.. the right topic here for my question too.. i'm new on the tenor (professional jazz guitarist) and could only afford a cheap chinese imported sax here in switzerland where i live (although I'm from SF, california) and my only problem really is that with the octave key pressed I only have squeak problems with G and G#.. I asked the sports teacher in my school who also plays tenor (3 years experience) about it and he said those ARE the main problem notes on the sax.. i keep trying to adjust my embochure (sic), not bite it.. not too far in my mouth on the mouthpiece etc but those notes are still very frustrating and unpredictable.. sometimes yes.. sometimes no.. if i play through scale pretty fast there's less problem but if I'm playing ballad tempo it often squeaks on those two 2nd octave notes..

any thoughts (beside buy a better sax and mouth piece lol)? I went up to a 2 1/2 reed but came back to a 2.. any help much appreciated!!

cheers..

nicky

PS.. sorry not ready on tenor yet but want you to hear I know music and harmony so I only have to master the technique on tenor.. hope you can dig my style if you got a couple minutes..

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7151792
 
#15 ·
FWIW, I got a more open mouthpiece (#9) that I tried on my tenor for the first time last night and was squeaking like crazy. I had to go down to a #2 reed to help stop it. I had been playing a 6* Tone Edge with 3s RJS's so a 9 was quite a jump. I also moved the ligature more forward and tightened it down pretty snug. No more squeaks...for now :)
 
#16 ·
E.M. Winstons are notorious for poor build quality! I'd say MAYBE 1 out 10 is a decent player, and maybe 1 out of 50 is an excellent player! So, the odds are really stacked against you! The soprano I had (Silver Plated "Pro I") fell somewhere between the 1/10 and 1/50. The alto I had was a total dud! Squeeky keys, had poor build quality, difficult to tune, burrs on the octave pips, keys, and key cups (it was the "Pro I" model in Black Nickle and Gold Plate keys).

The brass on the Altos and Tenors is particularly soft, keeping the sax in regulation a challenge.

As far as as the G/G# break, I don't find it particularly troublesome at all. Even when my Tenor had leaks, it wasn't bad. But I play w/a loose embuchure too. If your embuchure is too tight, it will show up right away on Tenor! In tuning, harmonics, and octaves.
 
#17 ·
I had the G/G# squeaks on tenor years ago and found it was because the D3 key was actually "touching" my left palm when my wrist was canted upward. Once I was aware of it, I repositioned my hand and the squeak stopped. I can still get a squeak if I touch the D3 inadvertently even though I'm not "pressing" on the key there seems to be enough pressure to pop a leak in it.
 
#20 ·
well G and G# are the squeakiest notes on the tenor, when I started on alto, never squeaked once at all, but then I was introduced to the tenor sax, I played with it at night and I was in shock, I squeaked on a G! I was in trauma for a few days. Just kidding about the trauma, it turned out that the squeaks were caused by the combination of bad horn, and ligature. Even today, the note that I squeak the most on are the high G and G#
 
#21 ·
I'm betting that there is enough pressure being put on a palm key to cause a leak, which in turn leads to a squeek.
The larger the sax, the easier it is for this to happen.
 
#22 ·
There's an interval that is very hard for me to do on tenor using a C*, not a problem at all on my Berg, but IMO tenors just don't work as well in a classical setting. Anyway playing from a C down to G or G# tends to cause a squeak, just a funky interval I guess.
 
#23 ·
This comes up from time to time, here or on the tenor forum or whatever, but yeah, I'll pile on...

I mostly play soprano, but when I play my tenor the biggest problem I run into, regardless of MP or reed, is G/G# (especially the G#). Something to do with tenor sax bore, length, arrangement of octave keys, who knows, but it can be the bane of us whose main sax isn't tenor.

(I'm sure the OP no longer cares, but I posted for anyone newer coming along...)
 
#24 ·
I know this thread was started 7 years ago (yikes! time flies) but I have something hilarious to report:

I sold that tenor long ago and bought a Cannonball Bari which I played for a while, then sold the Bari to pay rent after moving to Los Angeles. Sold the Bari in early 2013.

Fast-forward to last week: I bought a vintage tenor sax because I miss playing so much. It's an early 60's Ida Maria Grassi tenor. Honestly, the tone is impeccable and nearly knocked my socks off when I test-played it. Sadly it came with a no-name junk mouthpiece with an ill-fitting ligature and a single Rico 2.5 reed. Going to test new mouthpieces tomorrow.

However...

I have been practicing for the past week and had no problems with G or G#, until today. Every time I hit either note, it would squeak. I had zero problems with it yesterday. It was so maddening that I did a Google search on what could cause it and that's when I found...

My own thread!

Crazy, no?

At the very least I was able to re-read all the excellent (and funny) advice from the last time I had this problem. Still don't know if it's me or the horn though! My money is on the horn ;)
 
#25 ·
Just stumbled on this thread, and I'm glad that I've read all the posts - same problem here, High G and G# notes periodically squeak (sometimes the note high D as well)
Glad now - thought it was my Sax...... keep on practising I guess Cheers, P
 
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